Tim Scott, Daily Caller Interns Victims of Nerd Prom

D.C.’s celeb du jour, Sen. Tim Scott’s intern Byron Thomas, got peppered yesterday with some snark for a leaked email he sent out to staffers and interns concerning his displeasure with the office’s failure to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day at work.

HuffPo first reported the email, keeping Thomas’ identity secret. Gawker went ahead and released his name:

Good morning

My name is Byron Thomas and I’m from the extremely beautiful state of South Carolina. I intern for Republican Senator Tim Scott. I’ve had the pleasure of coming into different offices to meet the staff and interns from different states. Yes, we are all different and are working on different agendas but at the end of the day, we’re all citizens of the greatest country on earth, known as the United States of America. Now I’ve only been here for 8 days but I can tell that something is wrong, (in my opinion). We have American flags in front of every room, but I’ve never seen anyone take the time to proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance. Truly ask yourself, when was the last time you put your hand on your heart and said the Pledge of Allegiance. Now, I’m not attacking anybody because it’s your freedom and right to not say it but I’m assuming everyone that’s working up here loves this awesome country. Are we that busy that we can’t take a minute to show some pride and respect for our country? I say it every morning before I walk in because America’s always on my mind. I truly care about this country and I refuse to let this country fall. I know saying the pledge isn’t going to straighten out this economy we are in, but I believe it’s the little things that will take us far in life. We’re living in a truly blessed country and our generation has a great opportunity to be the greatest generation this country has ever had. I have a ton of faith in our generation because we will get America back on track! We all have to work together, so we can keep that American Dream alive for future generations. Now, I would love to say the pledge with the different offices before 9am (because that’s when I start work). All I want is for our generation to show that we’re united and that we’re going to stand together. We’ll always be One Nation, Under God. I hope you’ll see my words as kind and respectful because I’m truly not attacking anybody. I just truly care about this country and I want to work with everybody. Overwhelm People with Kindness and May God Bless the United States of America

P.S. Please share my message to your staff and interns or other offices that I didn’t reach, if you would like. Also if any events are happening, please let me know I would love to come. [Emphasis mine.]

As soon as the email was published, the D.C. hive mind collectively pointed and laughed at Thomas for 1) a relatively simple observation and request, 2) his ample, earnest enthusiasm, and 3) him lobbying to make friends in Washington. Heaven forbid a kid from South Carolina who has been in D.C. for a little over a week wanting to mix it up with other offices.

Everyone has encountered “that” intern like Thomas in their line of work. Teasing them for their enthusiasm is one thing. Throwing them to the Internet wolves is another. Wasn’t Washington built on the same wide-eyed youthful exuberance the hive mind is chortling at?

Thomas was not the only hyper-motivated intern to be on the receiving end of undeserved cynicism. Daily Caller intern Gabe Finger crashed the White House press briefing and dominated the Internet thereafter.

Washington proudly proclaims it’s a city where the nerds have won. It dubs the White House Correspondents Dinner as “Nerd Prom.”

But rather than embracing its younger nerd-brethren, the older hive mind revels in their mockery. In keeping with the prom analogy, it’s true what they say: You never really leave high school. And yesterday was another case of the seniors hazing the freshmen.